


Road to Home

by Kimmito



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Jason big brother, MariBat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmito/pseuds/Kimmito
Summary: Jason Todd is dead, and she ... is completely alone, resentful and at a loss for what to do.Marie Todd is lost, there is no longer any way home.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 72
Kudos: 454





	1. Chapter 1

He's dead. Jason Todd is dead.

Marie waited for everyone to leave, waited for the night, and approached her brother's grave. Now she's there, looking sadly at the grave of the only person who has been with her since she had the use of reason. The only thing she had in that putrid city...

She is angry, but very sad. She stays there until late at night and on the way to her hiding place, she sees him. Batman stepping into the dark Gotham, stands still from her position and watches him go, she doesn't move and tears accumulate again in her eyes. It hurts, it really hurts to see the bat running around the city as if he didn't just lose Robin.

She does the first thing that comes to her mind to do, grabs the closest hard object and throws it into the bat's vehicle; the glass doesn't break, but it splinters enough to show impact.

Marie runs off at that moment, back to her hiding place. She feels a strange feeling of satisfaction. This will not return her brother, but at least will force him to have it in his memory.

The next time you find him, she deflates the vehicle's tires with kitchen knives she steals from the neighbor, nor does he need them because he spends most of the day drunk. So, she uses them for her interests.

She goes on like this for a while, becoming more and more direct and managing to leave notes with the name _Robin_ as the only message.

Marie knows that it's wrong to torment the man, but she doesn't want him to forget it, she doesn't want him wash the blame and go on with his life as if nothing had happened.

Jason Todd is dead and she just wants to follow him because he was all she had.

But she's is alive and she can fight for her brother, for the live that he'll not has.


	2. Chapter 2

Marie follows Batman every night, she's aware that he knows that she follows him, but he does nothing about it. It doesn't matter, she thinks, anyway it won't stop even if he demands it.

Three weeks after Jason's death someone confronts her about her actions and he's not Batman, he's a boy only three years older than her.

"What do you think you're doing?! "She pushes him away, he just got in his way stopping any plans he had.She never have too much time, Batman always comes back fast as if he had a damage sensor to his belongings.

"Stop doing that, can't you see you're tormenting him? He gets more and more violent, he obviously feels guilty and only makes it worse! "He is very soft even as he tries to scream.

"I don't care." She replies, looking at him with disdain. "Don't get in my way, this doesn't matter to rich kids."

"It matters to me! Batman is becoming increasingly violent towards criminals, at this rate he’s going to break his own rule."

"Well, I hope he kills the Joker!" Marie growls at the nosy boy.

"You can't be serious."

Marie just ignores him, but he takes her arm for she look at him.

"I doubt your brother would have liked to torment Batman or wish the death of others. I'm sure he became a vigilante to protect you and expose you like this..."

"I know that! And what else can will I do? No one is going to remember Jason Todd and as soon as another boy takes up the mantle, they will forget it was Robin. ”Marie starts crying, he just looks at her uncomfortably and just claps her on the shoulder, thinking that it would be taking too many liberties if he hug her.

"I doubt Batman will forget it and he'll not replace Jason, he'll not put another child in danger." He grimaces at his statement, he was ready to take up the mantle to help Batman, but now, seeing the girl in front him. He doesn't feel it is a good idea to go after the Bat and ask him to be the new Robin... And Nightwing will not go back to his old name to help.

"Why are you so sure? "Marie asks in a sob. "In less than a year, he replaced his first Robin. "

"It's different, the first Robin is alive... Batman isn't a bad person and he's not going to let another child's death repeat itself like that, there will be no other Robin, that's for sure..."

Marie nods, bending down to hug herself. She almost forgot about the other boy's presence, if it weren't for the fact that he had squatted next to her and was stroking her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"So what's your name, Robin's little sister?"

"Marie Todd."

"I'm Timothy Drake, but can you tell me Tim. Where do you live?"

"Uh, I don't have a place. Anywhere is good, Jason didn't want Bruce to adopt me too. "

"Why?" The new information surprises him, how can he not want Bruce WAYNE to adopt it? It was the opening for a more comfortable life.

"He said he wanted to see if he was entirely trustworthy and then became Robin, he decided he didn't want me to have anything to do with that business." Marie knows she shouldn't be trusting Tim as much, but she doesn't socialize with other kids and since the last time she saw Jason, two weeks before his death, she had not spoken to anyone. Also, he is so curious and without bad intentions that it's difficult not to let her guard down.

"He was a good brother. We just met and it's fine if you don't trust me, but if you don't have a place to spend the night, does my house sound good?"

"It is not a problem? You have parents, well-to-do adults don't like us."

"It doesn't matter, they are hardly home. So?"

Marie doubts, she must doubt, but she hasn't slept comfortably in weeks. Her paranoia tells her to run, but a part of her feels like she can trust Tim and she wants to believe in it.

"Fine. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the next part. They are not such long chapters, at least for the moment, but later they will be extended as the plot requires.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Marie huddles in a corner of Tim's room, it's close to dawn and although he offered her the bed, she doesn't feel comfortable being there. She turns her attention to Tim, who is sleeping peacefully on the floor. She really tried to sleep in bed, but she got used to having nothing softer than a blanket that is difficult to sleep on a mattress. She doesn't want to wake him either, but she knows that he will realize that he didn't sleep much at all.

She spends another hour looking at Tim, watching him sleep so calmly that she is envious of his peace. If only everyone could get a little bit of that luck, at least a place to rest without fear. All night long he wondered what kind of people the boy's parents would be, whether they would be like her own or, conversely, more like what her brother told her about Bruce Wayne, a good but distant man.

Marie frowns when her thoughts stray to the billionaire, she shouldn't be thinking of him and not with those soft thoughts, it was his fault that Jason is dead. Who allows a child to put on such an eye-catching (and ridiculous) outfit while running through the roofs of Gotham? Bruce Wayne, apparently.

A noise startles her, she directs her gaze towards the origin. Tim is looking so sadly at the spilled glass of water that anyone would think he just saw a puppy being beaten. For a moment, everything stays that way, until he turns to her and is surprised to see her in the corner.

"Wh-what are you doing there?"

"I couldn't sleep in bed..."

"Why did not you tell me?" Tim looked at her with concern, invited her so that he could rest and relax her mind from everything that had happened.

"I didn't want to bother you. "

"You don't bother me, I invited you, right?" Marie nods at his words. "Okay, come here. You should rest. "

Marie crawls towards him insecurely, even though she feels calm enough in the place it’s not a complete comfort.

When she reaches his side, he wraps her with the sheet and urges her to lie down on the pillow. Only then, Marie realizes how tired she was and falls asleep immediately.

Tim lowers another pillow from the bed and lies down next to her, staring at the ceiling.

How did it end like this? It's not that he feels he's doing something wrong, he's just trying to remember at the exact moment when he decided that the second Robin's little sister was more important than go after Batman to try to help him (with great emphasis on trying, because he knows that it's just a kid without any kind of training or remarkable strength like the previous two children). Although, if he consider it, he helped in some way... Not only Batman but also Marie, it's not as useless as he thought. She really needs someone and, from what he knows, Batman has someone with him. Marie needs him more, that's it.

He'll not seek to be Robin, not if it's not necessary and not without Marie's permission. It's already decided.

She moves closer to Tim, catching his attention. Black hair falls on her face and without all the accumulation of negative emotions that clouded her features, she looks like a real little girl.

He gets up after a while, going into the kitchen to make his and Marie's breakfast, although hers is more likely to be more of a lunch than a breakfast if she manages to get at least four hours of sleep.

A pity that is not the case.

Tim sits on the sofa with his plate of pancakes when he hears her call him, it's soft, but he manages to capture it by paying close attention to any sound coming from his room. He gets up to go with her, sees her sitting and very tired, but totally alert.

"I made breakfast, I'm not the best chef, but do you want some?" Tim hesitates as he speaks, watching her reaction. She nods and stands up, although she stays in place, he guesses the question before she speaks. "There is no one, as I said, they hardly pass at home and sometimes, like last night, they don't sleep here. "

"Oh. "

"Come on, I made pancakes but... some it's burnt , though they don't taste too bad ... I think."

"Doesn't matter. "

Marie is completely honest when she says it, food is food and she's content to have breakfast for once in all those weeks. When Jason was adopted, she had a food most days, but when he didn't come back and later died, she could barely get himself something to eat... until today.

"Tim." He looks at her before pulling a plate out of the lower cupboard. "Thanks. "

Tim smiles and nods.

It is, perhaps, the beginning of a friendship.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim looks anxiously at his father, who eats in front of him. Today he will sleep at home since two weeks, he just returned from a trip and decided to spend the night with his son, although he must leave again early tomorrow, but Tim has a problem with this, Marie is in his room and he's afraid that he'll not be able to bring her food or that she can be calm... he doesn't want to imagine what would happen if his father discovered her, she doesn't deserve to be treated badly and he would like to protect her from that (a little difficult with his father there, although his presence it's better than his mother).

As Marie reads one of the books Tim has in his bedroom, even though she's been taking refuge in Drake House for a week and a half, she feels like a stranger when she's somewhere else outside her new friend's bedroom. The bad thing is that she got used to being close to Tim and he even snuggles with her when the nightmares come. She didn't know how much she needed that kind of comfort, she had gotten used to lonely nights since Jason started living at Wayne Mansion.

Marie climbs into bed with the book in her hands, sits under the covers and continues reading, she likes the books in the bedroom and she hopes she can read them all, she especially likes Charles Dickens' because she notices that life doesn't It is so different and the changes that take place over the centuries, although great, hardly allow a significant evolution of the same scale in the society itself. Same rich and same poor, no matter the place or the time.

Soon after, Tim comes in with a bun and a packet of cookies with an embarrassed expression. He climbs into bed with her and gives her what he has brought.

"Sorry, I couldn't bring any more."

"Okay." She drops the book and sets it aside to start eating.

"My father will sleep here, we must be careful. " Tim wraps himself in the sheets and looks at her.

He's restless, he knows that Batman only gets worse with the passing of the days and he seems increasingly closer to the point of no return, but he doesn't want to leave Marie and being Robin means that she will be angry with him.

Neither of them says anything until she finishes eating and the only thing in her hands is the cookie wrapper.

"What do I do with this?"

"Uh. Throw it out there..."

Marie looks at him puzzled, but decides she doesn't want to do that no matter how much he tells her. She puts the wrapper in his hands and she leans back to continue reading.

"Thanks. "She mutters shyly, hiding her face in the book. Tim smiles and just tosses the wrapper to the floor before turning on the night lamp and going to turn off the light in the room, leaving them with soft lighting, but enough for Marie to continue reading as long as she wants.

He falls asleep quickly and Marie follows him after a few hours, surrendering to sleep and the warmth of a soft bed.

They spend another week quietly, Tim teaches Marie math and also gets her clothes that used to be his so that she doesn't wear the same barely clean clothes every day, before he only lent her pajamas to wear when sleeping. Maybe it's boy's clothes, but Marie looked happy when she saw the shirts and pants, although they were loose at first because she's much thinner than him.

And then the week after that they had to be careful again, Jack Drake came back again because he had forgotten some documents and decided to spend a full day with his son, to make up for the long absences. Tim even slept in his parents' bedroom to prevent Jack from entering his bedroom and seeing Marie, luckily she didn't have nightmares those two nights.

But the following week chaos broke out, neither of them could have anticipated it because his mother usually has much longer absences and sometimes doesn't see about her in three whole months. Janet arrived at dawn and went to see her son in the room, since he had to go back and had only returned for some files that she didn't think she needed when she left (although in the end they were very necessary).

What she finds is something she would never have imagined. There is a girl sleeping with her son in the bed, they are separated by a pillow that is hugged by Tim, but they still very close. Where did that girl come from? She shouldn't have parents because no one compos mentis would let something like this happen and she'll not allow it, and if she has to look out her son more closely, it'll be so.

She wakes them up.

"Timothy Drake, I demand an explanation in this instant!" Marie jumps out of bed like a cat and latches onto the wall, her eyes reflecting fear, not only for being woken up like that but for the unknown and furious voice. He senses are put on high alert.

Tim is also startled, looks at his mother with scared. His only thought is Marie and what will happen to her.

"I'm waiting! And you, girl, out of my house! To soax up my son like that and believe you with the right to be here! Get out now!" Janet doesn't think much of her words, she's too angry to consider anything.

Marie nods immediately and inadvertently passes the dragon-turned woman out the window.

Tim doesn't hear again of Marie Todd since that early morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Marie?


	5. Chapter 5

Marie knew she shouldn't settle around Tim, that it was only a temporary arrangement, but she had some hope that she could enjoy more time with him. What a bitter gulp of reality, she really likes the boy, he was good to her when he didn't have to and they could spend hours talking about random topics. It was really nice to have a place to sleep and most of all, to have someone who waited to see you every day. It was a mutual relief for loneliness.

Now she was back on the streets, she won't go back to Drake House. She doesn't want to cause any more trouble for Tim, she must do that for him. Still, she will always consider him a good friend and keep him close to her heart, next to Jason.

The days are difficult and she misses sleeping next to Tim enormously, she got used to his presence very quickly.

A week after last she seeing Tim, everything started to get more complicated. The rumors of kidnapping of children and adolescents began to spread, many spoke of organ trafficking and others of prostitution, nobody was sure about it, but the concerns could be touched with the palm of the hand.

The children began to group, but Marie was excluded. Which is terrible for her.

One of those nights she disappeared from Gotham, waking up in a container surrounded by other children. All confused and scared, some even kicking the steel walls.

She could hear the sea crashing into the hull and the smell of the sea seeps into the container. Uncertainty embraces her again and this time there is no Batman to torment nor Tim to hug her.

She must find a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I already have everything written and I know how the whole story unfolds, it's often difficult to write it. Still, I like how I've been shaping it.
> 
> I promise that the next chapters will be longer, this one is more of an interlude.
> 
> Suggestions?
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

It takes Marie a week to identify each child inside the container, many of them she crossed at some point in the streets of Gotham and knows them a little, with that information she can plan with their help a way to escape. She's not going to stay there and wait to see her end.

She stands in the middle of the container and gives everyone a look.

"Attention!"She calls, she feels a little uncomfortable with all the attention, but it's necessary to get them all out of there." We have been several days, I can only assume that we will dock in a European or Asian country. We will be trapped here longer and I know we are all hungry, we are all scared, but we must be smart. We are not well-off children, we have lived a large part of our lives on the streets and, as such, we are survivors. "

"What do you suggest? "A boy a little older than she speaks, by appearance he might be Tim's age. She smiles at him, has a little idea.

"We have escaped the clutches of the police before and have cohabited with several of the craziest people in the world, I think it's time for them to know why Gotham has the fame that it has." Several children smile maliciously, take by example to the Rogues in their city isn't something they would have before thought of, but they have seen and heard enough to plan with something of a similar organization.

They are Gotham's children and, as such, the darkness shelters and blesses them for their misdeeds.

The children meet to plan with Marie in command of the operation.

Ten days later, the vessel stopped. All the children were ready, the smallest were left at the bottom and the oldest were placed in position. They may not be in the best condition, but when have they been? Going so long without eating anything decent made them undemanding of what they consumed to survive. They were lucky that every five days they brought them food and water, but also that was most helpful in their search for information from their captors. They noticed the weapons and made individual mental notes that they later shared with everyone, they had seen the Penguin thugs with similar weapons in some robberies and some were lucky to have them first hand.

They were aware that not everyone would come out of their wonderful plan alive, but nothing told them that wherever their captors took them, it would keep them alive. Better to take risks to ensure the well-being of the majority and not the fall of all.

They felt the movement of their container being unloaded, none of them moving from their position.

"Everything will be fine." Marie murmurs to herself next to one of the older girls, who is only fifteen years old. Her eyes reflect a warrior fury and a goal worth dying for, she had the bad luck of being kidnapped with her five-year-old sister and she will not allow anything to happen to her. Life has treated them badly enough to let it keep happening.

When the bins are opened they are all glued to the sides and letting the shadows inside keep them hidden as the light seeps in, barely leaving the kids in the background. They let their captors in to try to subdue them to move and being as secretive as possible, they jumped on them using the remains of clothing and blankets they obtained. The older boys managed to subdue two and the girls the other three, they took away their weapons and the most skilled in their use led the group. Two boys are left behind to avoid being followed them.

If they can get to a safe place or even the police, they will take it as a victory.

Moving around the port, Marie looks for a way to identify their current location, that way it would be easier to know how to move. When they leave the cargo area and face the bustle of the port, she identifies it.

Germany.

They sneak into the city, they don't have a course of action, they really didn't expect it to turn out so well, but the idea of hiding using lighting based on assumptions and experience was a good tactic, the surprise factor was assured because no one is so brave to face their kidnappers, fear and uncertainty make them go the safe way to ensure survival. They learned to use that adrenaline and now they are there, moving in some city in Germany.

Marie begins to give kids directions to steal objects and anything that might be useful for them to move, the first thing is to make sure they are safe before deciding what to do with their new freedom. She don´t understed why she finished being a leader.

Hours later they are all in a park, people are staring at them and Marie knows that they will have the police at some point, the big problem is that they do not know the city and that means they do not know how to move.

Marie knows that somehow they will end up in the German system, or deported to their country of origin... Anyway, it's a huge problem.

And now that she think about the boy who showed initial intersting in her words, he reminds her of Tim, his eyes are almost the same shade of blue. It just makes she miss him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter we return to Tim.
> 
> What did you think? What do you think will happen next?  
> I love reading your comments.
> 
> Thanks for everything <3


	7. Chapter 7

Tim heard the kidnapping rumors and feared the worst, he didn't care what his parents might say, it's not as if they happen at home every day. He started looking for Marie, but couldn't find her and nobody knew anything about Jason Todd's little sister.

He spent two weeks searching for her, going to extremes to expose himself more than he should and to be dragged by Batman back to his home or the police station. His parents only scolded him on the phone, nor did they bother to do it head-on, he haven't taken them seriously.

He felt lonely and desperate, very desperate. He wanted to protect her and is she kidnapped? The itch of tears was present every time the thought came to mind.

Another week passed and of she was not a trace of it.

The frustration was too much to continue living with her. Being in his room holding the last book that Marie was reading, he makes the decision to follow Batman again and ask him to give him Robin's cloak. It's the only way to find the resources to find her, and hopefully when she does it will be fine.

The next night he sneaks off to run to Wayne Manor, thinking of the possible arguments he will use to convince Bruce Wayne that he's what he needs (although the reality it's he needs him most). He even took the last book Marie read and the photos he took of her while practicing with prospects, hei favorite is pasted in hei room and is a constant reminder that he must find her.

He runs throughout the city putting his resistance to the test, he can not continue wasting time, the later he's less chance of finding her. He's not going to give up.

He arrives at the mansion panting, totally drenched in sweat and about to drop into the cold cement, he feels the pang of an emerging headache and takes out the bottle with water, drinking almost all of it. Try to calm your breathing before knocking on the gate.

"What do you want? "Tim is aware of the time, though he hesitates waking anyone up for Bruce's late-night activities.

"I want to speak to Bruce Wayne."

"At two in the morning?"

"Yeah! It's important. ”He looks around before speaking again. "I know he's Batman..."

"I think you were wrong, young."

"No! It's really important, I need his help. ”He didn't mean to say that, he intended to drop it after getting accepted to become the new Robin, but perhaps he underestimated his own despair. "I… I don't know what else to do… ”Tim stands still, feeling numb from the realization that no matter how good his posture was, his chances were always slim.

He is not aware that he's sobbing, letting out all the emotions accumulated in recent years, the sadness and loneliness that was returned to him after Marie disappeared. And she is worse, because he at least has his parents, someone to look after his well-being, but she's being taken to an unknown destination with the death of her brother still fresh. And he cries more.

This is not how I plan to search for Batman, being a child having an emotional breakdown. He doesn't want to keep crying, he doesn't want to keep showing himself so pathetic to the person on the other side of the communicator.

"Do your parents know you're here?"

"What does it matter to them?!" Tim is mentally cursing himself for letting out his annoyance so easily, he feels very ridiculous standing in the middle of the night in front of Gotham's richest person's mansion overflowing his pent up emotions, he may even feel himself trembling. He falls onto the asphalt desperately trying to stop the tears and the overwhelming feeling of not knowing what he is feeling, it is no longer just sadness or worry, it is a huge mix of all the negative that has accompanied him for much of his life.

He hadn't understood how lonely he was until Marie arrived.

As soon as he hears the gate open, he doesn't fully react until he feels a pair of hands on his shoulders. He looks up to see Alfred Pennyworth for the first time, who gives him a compassionate look.

"What's your name?"

"T-Tim Drake." He can't believe the show of wailing he's giving, his head hurts more and more. It is perhaps due to dehydration and tiredness.

"Very well, Young Drake. I need you to breathe, relax, and take a deep breath. "He obeys the man trying to regulate his breathing, but he cannot relax his mind.

He feels weak, his mind keeps spinning in the same thing, and he's so tired. Why can't nobody keep with him? Why does everyone abandon he? Why did they have to take Marie?

Alfred takes the boy in his arms, he's quite small and does not seem older than ten years old, he takes him inside the mansion, he will not leave him on the street in such a vulnerable state, he seems about to faint and even his sobs are listen more and more smoothly.

Bruce intercepts Alfred, already without the suit, just as he enters the mansion again.

"Who is him?"

"His name is Tim Drake, he came to talk to you. He knows your identity and had an emotional collapse, what happened must have hit him very hard to have such a severe response when trying to explain."

"I see, give him a room. In the morning I will take he to his house. "

Without much interest in the boy, Bruce heads to his studio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it 's. It came out a little more dramatic than I thought, but I don't think it's bad... what did you think?
> 
> And thanks for reading and comment <3


	8. Chapter 8

Tim wakes up disoriented and with a headache, looks around not recognizing the place, but considering the night before, he knows it's Wayne Manor. The first thing he does is bend down to drink water from the pitcher next to his bed, his throat feels dry and irritated, in addition to the burning in his eyes and the general heaviness throughout his body.

He hasn't even finished the glass with water when the door opens and the same man from last night comes in.

"Good morning, young Drake. My name is Alfred Pennyworth, how do you feel?" Tim blinks, recording his words before answering.

"Ah, a pleasure... eh, I'm fine? I'm not sure, I feel like something is missing… ”He stays silent contemplating his thoughts.

"Well, you got rid of a lot of feelings last night, you're probably still groggy from the force of those feelings. Can you get up? Breakfast is already served, Master Bruce will take you home after lunch."

Tim nods slightly dazed as he looks for his things, he carried a backpack with everything he needed to talk to Batman. He refuses to let his feelings take him down again, he'll take advantage of breakfast for that.

"Your things are downstairs, come on."

Tim obeys and follows him, can't help but yawn and rub his eyes. The heaviness becomes more and more present as it moves.

As he enters the dining room, he looks at Bruce sitting in the main chair with a lost look and a very deep melancholic expression, he has not even touched the food. Tim is sure that is part of his self-destructive behavior, that and his violent tendency. The man seems to have the self-preservation of a dead worm, none at all.

"Good morning," he says shyly, groping for the adult. Bruce completely ignores him, doesn't even make an expression to imply that he is aware of his presence.

Tim purses his mouth, is it that bad? Has it become the remains of a man?

When Alfred leaves the dining room to let them eat in peace, Tim gets up to look for his things and when he finds them, the first thing he does is put a photo of Marie on his face. Only that action managed to capture his attention, perhaps due to the slight resemblance between the Todd brothers.

"She's Marie Todd, the sister of your second Robin. She was kidnapped by those traffickers you haven't stopped for being busy regretting instead of doing something real for Jason's memory. I want your help, let me become Robin and work by your standards… Or I will do it myself and you will have two more lives in your conscience." Tim is direct with his intentions, perhaps a little very heartless, but he really is willing to go after the traffickers just in order to trace Marie, he doesn't need to think about it much, he would do it for her. It is a battle worth fighting. "Decide, Batman."

Bruce looks with recognition at the boy in front of him, he saw him once with that same girl in the photo ... and since then he never found any messages alluding to his inability to protect Jason, but that was only worse. Does Jason have a sister he never mentioned? He is barely registering the information given, looking with confusion at the boy's determined face, very different from his broken appearance from the night before.

He recognizes the conviction to keep fighting despite being broken inside, but he is not going to put anyone else in danger.

"No."

"It seems you didn't hear me. I'll go after Marie with or without your help, it's your decision whether I do it on your terms or on mine. If I die, it remains in your consciousness, because I came to ask you for help and with she disappeared, you will live with the uncertainty of whether she's dead or not, all because of your inability to face grief and focus on self-pity instead of doing your job well, Detective.”For the severe look he's giving him, Tim fears he'll just decide to throw him out on the street and shut the door in his face. Of course, after letting your feelings flow the night before and now that you feel clearer, there is only the strong determination to do this, to become Robin and look for Marie.

It's all he can do, just wait for Batman to heed his words, because it would be so much easier on the Bat's resources than to stumble on his own.

The silence is stunning and continues like this for several minutes until Alfred enters the dining room.

"I think, Master Bruce, that prevention is better than regret."

Bruce frowns, it is the least dangerous route of action for the child in front of him. Whereas he discovered his identity, Jason's, and probably knows Dick's.

"How much do you know?"

"Richard Grayson was your first Robin, you adopted him after his parents died in the circus. I was there, I saw him doing his movements and later, Robin did exactly the same. Jason Todd was the second Robin, you adopted him after he tried to steal your car tires..."

He just makes a noise in recognition, thinking of his options. The boy's gaze tells him that he will not be able to dissuade him from what he has in mind and, if his instinct doesn't fail him, he's fully capable of following his convictions on his own. He discovered their identities only by observation, that only shows his mental sharpness.

"You won't go out into the field or do any research until I'm sure you're ready. I'll get you trainers to train you. You will follow my rules, all of them, and that includes leaving me the search for the girl."

Tim nods signing his new future.

Bruce sighs, is he doing the right thing? Why did Jason never tell him about his sister? Now he feels worse, the girl is missing.

"Her name is Marie, don't forget it. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it's. I hope it went well.
> 
> What did you think?


	9. Chapter 9

Marie knew that this was going to happen, to be captured by the police and to have to explain everything, barely understanding English due to the strong German accent in his pronunciation of English, being that there are words that are lost for not being follow it and it's not that the cop who interrogate her don't know how to speak it, he is quite fluent, only his accent is the problem. Beyond that, why didn't anyone tell her that the German accent is so nice? Or maybe she's the one with the strange tastes.

So, Marie has spent two hours sitting in front of the officer explaining what happened, in addition to recounting her life before being kidnapped. Sure, being a street kid will do little for her, but the German system can't be worse than Gotham's, correct?

She's fired an hour later to wait with the other children, sits next to a boy a few years older than her, a shade of blue almost the same as Tim's and perhaps that is why she keeps him close, although it's not the exact shade . It will never be the same. The boy, named Charles, is called next.

She remains silent, the police stations tense everyone. At least one of them must have been arrested sometime and their positions have all the other officers equally tense, as if the children were going to jump on them. Well, mentioning the infamous Gotham doesn't help the matter.

An old man wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt appears and tries to sit next to her, but he doesn't seem to have enough strength, so she helps him. Bremen is much more colorful and with a more positive feeling, if they hadn't been running away from their captors they might have felt better, but she can see it only by noticing a bit of better humor in the cops instead of the dark bitterness in the expressions of the Gotham officers.

"Thank you, the officers are busy, why are you here?"Marie hesitates to answer the old man's question, although if she considers it, it doesn't matter, they are likely to end up scattered throughout the city or country or be deported if the German government refuses to keep foreign children.

"They take our statements." When Marie responds she realizes that he asked the question in English, how did he find out? Neither of them has been speaking and the old man was still not around when they called Charles, so he couldn't have listened. "And you?"

"Oh, I lost my phone in the Marktplatz and came to file a complaint, I don't want to be blamed by anyone who finds it for bad actions." He sounds very relaxed. "You're not from around here, are you? There is a lot of darkness surrounding you, bad luck clings to you tightly."

Marie frowns at the old man's words, she already knew that she's very unlucky. Being able to live with Tim for so long was even too lucky and she paid for it by being kidnapped, even now she believes that this victorious escape will bring her a greater consequence. She doesn't like to think about it, if she concentrates on the bad that is happening to her, she will only stop and can't do it, she doesn't know why, but she can't just sit down and lament her bad luck.

"No."

"It looks like they'll be included in the international adoption system." Marie barely moves, her eyes fixed on the floor, as interesting as the brown tile is, she's thinking about Tim, clinging uselessly to the desire to return to him. It is not that she did not know that this would happen. "They will attend me, a pleasure to meet you..."

"Marie. "

"Marie, it was a nice talk, not many people stop to talk to an old man. It was as if destiny allowed me to meet such a good-spirited person. "Marie huffs at her words, not noticing the hidden meaning in them or the old man's knowing gaze.

They say goodbye and soon everything seems to return to normal, as if the old man had never been there. Strange, she thinks, but she lets it go when Charles returns. So much time passed? It was a very short conversation.

She doesn't think much about it and concentrates on her immediate future, the policemen start approaching in the company of some people in suits, the social services. They speak to each other in German and then talk to them in English, explain what will happen to them and separate them by age.

Marie is in the company of two boys, one with sandy blond hair with a worried expression and the other with dark brown hair who looks around nonchalantly. She hardly spoke to them in her time in the container, she just dedicated herself to knowing what was necessary. The blond boy, Robert, had only been on the streets for a short time after escaping from a host family that was mistreating them, he took with him Cindy, a very happy seven-year-old girl who, luckily, was not kidnapped (at least, until where they know). The other boy, Rupert, has been on the streets since he was four years old, he was taken in by some older kids and they used to hide in the limits of the Penguin's territory.

And then everything goes on, they are taken to an orphanage and she spends a whole week there before social services arrives with the news that she's being adopted. She's very confused when it happens, paperwork doesn't move that fast, governments are generally a pain in the butt when it comes to documents; she can only think that he's a person with a lot of money.

She waits to be picked up, it's amazing that she couldn't even meet her adopter before she has to go with him (at least they had the decency to tell her that).

She's greatly surprised when the same old man she met at the police station arrives for her.

"We meet again, Marie."

"How? The procedures sometimes take years and we barely met a week ago. "She expresses her bewilderment, facing the old man who is the same height.

"It was miraculous." Marie frowns at the chosen words, but cannot contradict him. "Now, come on, we must take a train to Paris. I already have everything ready for your arrival. "

She just nods staring at the old man in front of her.

There is only one detail, she doesn't know his name. Well, she will find out that in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to bring this chapter a little faster before, as it's the fanfic that took me the longest to update, compared to how easily I write Baby Wayne.  
> Anyway, this is the beginning of the adventures that Marie will have from now on, and in turn, we'll see how Tim fares in her new life with Bruce Wayne.
> 
> What do you think so far?
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	10. Chapter 10

Marie Todd-Wang.

Why does her new name look horribly similar to what her brother adopted when Batman took him in? Simply its luck and she will hit anyone in the face who decides to use it full.

She has been living with Master Fu for a full year, as she decided to call him because it was rare to call him father (in any case, she could call him grandfather, but it's rare). In that time she learned many interesting things, but especially the fact that the old man in front of her intends that she save the world by wearing magic jewelry as _an anime character_.

Seriously, what about her life?

The only good thing is that she's being trained properly, she's enrolled in quite a few martial arts classes: Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Krav Maga (she doesn't know where he knows the guy from, but whenever Fu and he meet they seem ready to draw knives and attack each other), Kendo (by the Dragon prodigy, his words, not her), Kung-fu, Tai chi (taught by Fu as he learns to connect with Plagg). Added to that, she's also enrolled in gymnastics and every time she _flies_ she can't help but think of the first Robin (and sometimes she gets mad).

And that is only training, physical, in spiritual subjects she has memorized several books of angelology and demonology, history and different books of magic... that she can't use, only know. Really sir?

Anyway, she has had a very busy year and is still learning. She only masters Kendo (it was actually natural about it, what a surprise) and is switching to fencing as well, a good way to combine styles and sweep with her enemies. Oh, with all that training she could search for the Joker and Batman would have nothing to say, especially with the magic, yes, yes.

She has also been learning French, Chinese and German (also Latin and a language she doesn't know where he got it from, but it doesn't sound like anything she knows).

Marie has barely had time to think about Jason or Tim, but she spends a moment before bed, hoping that her brother will rest in peace and that Tim won't get into trouble (she really has the feeling that the opposite is happening, but okay).

And now Fu wants to send her to school, to her, a dangerous girl with a group of defenseless kids. Very well, she knows that Master Fu is not perfect, it shows that he learned everything self-taught and falling into very deep mud pits, so she doesn't judge him, but she would like him to wait for his developing magical abilities to stabilize. (She says it specifically for the occasion when she accessed Kaalki's powers and ended up on top of the Empire State, oh, the police were very excited to know how she got there.)

This is how she got to this moment.

Françoise Dupont, great school.

She has a bad feeling.

And surprise, surprise. It's fulfilled when she first arrives in the classroom and a conceited blonde throws a grape juice on her pastel pink shirt. Marie resists the urge to move her to the top of the Burj Khalifa and smiles as kindly as she can, if she's going to be a heroine she must create a civilian personality that separates her personality with the mask and her real personality (just see Bruce Wayne, she's sure that the man is not half of what the media say about him).

"Oh, look, a poor insect. I'd apologize, but it's just the welcome you deserved. "

"Yeah, whatever, I have better things to waste my time on." She ignores the blonde, she won't mess with her. The guys who were already sitting look at her with their mouths open, good that there are no flies. Probably because she said it with a sweet smile.

She sits in the back, where she has a complete view of all the students so she can analyze them all.

From that day on, her routine changes a little. After school she has gymnastics, then she has fencing and she ends her day ending with learning necromancy (now, why?). Fu seems in a hurry to make her a magician and, above all, a powerful one if her alchemy teacher is right. Still, Marie knows that her best teachers are the Kwami, who seem excited to see her advance her learning.

Tikki and Plagg teach her about universal balance, divinity, and their intimate concepts, although she still doesn't fully understand them. The Kwami encourage her by saying that when the time comes, she will understand.

"Marie, come with me."

She follows Fu to the room where she keeps the box and opens it.

"You told me you would need more than one ally, in case the situation requires it. Today, you can choose the wonders who, when needed, should be in circulation. "

"And the users?"

"Your first test is to choose your companions."

Marie nods, this is just the beginning of her journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fu has no intention of waiting and tries to prepare Marie as best he can.
> 
> That you thought?


	11. Chapter 11

Marie devoted herself to observing her classmates, being the only place she could choose, although she was also observing in her only class outside of school where she shared with other people, which is swordplay, however, she did n't see anyone worthy.

However, as the school year progresses, she begins to befriend two girls: Alix Kubdel and Rose Lavillant (in addition to a relationship _I hate you today, but maybe not tomorrow_ with Chloe. A weird thing, she doesn't even want to think much about that).

And since Master Fu repeats to her every day to trust her instincts, well, she has invited the three girls to join her Judo classes (which is the most normal thing, she would not know how to explain to them why she's learning a technique of Combat designed by a specialized military team, yes, she's not having that conversation... until the time comes.)

With the end of their second year living with Master Fu, the four girls become friends. Of course, with the peculiarities that the clash of personalities entails because: how have a light person, a daughter of the night, a queen bee and an antisystem have been coupled without diverging? Miraculous, Fu would say.

This is how she has come to the exact situation where she must reveal the greatest secret of her life... no, not as dramatic as that. Her biggest secret is Tim, sweet Tim, who is sure he's getting into trouble somewhere other than Gotham because, surely, HE'S TRAINING TO BE A ROBIN. When she sees him, she's going to hit him, not for being Robin but for putting himself in danger. It's funny how she became so attached to a child with whom he only had a relationship for a month and a half.

But that is not the issue there, the issue is that she has brought them together so they can start training with prodigies. She chose her allies and must prepare them. That is her first mission as a future guardian, really, after two years, the imminent death of Master Fu feels painful, hopefully he will see her graduate from school... although she doubts it.

"So, Todd, why so much secrecy? Where we are? "Chloe grimaces as they walk through the building where she lives, which is only inhabited by them.

"My home."

"So many laps around town to come to your house, Marie?" Alix asks incredulously. Well, she hasn't shared much about her life, other than mentioning that she was adopted in Germany by her grandfather.

"I have my reasons." She says cryptically when they reach the door, she opens it immediately and is greeted by the empty place. Better this way, she will be able to talk to them under her own rules.

The girls come in and watch the decor, the Chinese influence is clear all over the place. Marie invites them to sit down while she goes to get some cookies and tea, she has the selected boxes ready and will put them on the table too. Doing it in those moments will allow the training sessions to be more varied, she will not launch anyone into any battle just knowing Judo, they need to develop combat styles in conjunction with the weapons of each Miraculous, especially those less orthodox like yo-yo or the spinning top, who came up with it?

"I have gathered you here to discuss something important."

"Will you enroll us in a sect? I knew you were part of a sect! "Alix cheers and giggles, Rose just hides a giggle and Chloe looks at her unimpressed.

“Todd. I'm not missing my afternoon spa just for tea and cookies. "

"Sure…" Marie just sighs and settles, again, how did she come to a cordial relationship with Chloe Bourgeois when the first few months narrowly didn't punch each other? Well, it only remains to go with the flow and when everything ends up going into Arkham because she went crazy. "What do you think of being heroes?"

"Heroes? Something like Superman? "Alix questions intrigued.

"That would be incredible! Can you imagine the attention we would receive? ”Chloe seems to have stars in her eyes at the idea, Marie winces.

"She was talking more about fighting and saving people."

"Why, Marie?" Rose speaks for the first time, curious about the direction of the conversation.

"At some point in the next few years, a villain will appear in Paris and heroes will be needed to fight him. A special type of hero, in the best Maho Shoujo style.

"The anime genre?" Alix seems doubtful, so Marie takes out the boxes and opens them one by one revealing the chosen Kwami.

Tikki, Pollen and Trixx appear in front of the three girls.

"Oh God!" Alix jumps back at the sight of the three creatures and is more exalted when she sees a fourth emerge from Marie's jacket. "What are they?"

"Kwami, do you want to hear a story?"

And so she begins to explain about the Kwami, about the lost prodigies and about their future role, if they accept, of course. The four girls remain silent, Marie waits patiently for them to decide, if they refuse, she begins to review the different spells that she can use to erase their memory and pretend that the meeting never happened.

"Is that why you invited us to Judo, Todd?"

"Yes."

"Amazing, but we are children. "

"I am aware, but I do not trust adults and that is why I tell them in time. We will prepare, we will be as amazing as Wonder Woman."

"You talked me into Wonder Woman, Marie." Alix smirks, Marie has never done anything she didn't plan to, so she will trust her and help her. The other option is for the girl to do it all by herself and she would be a very bad friend if she allowed it, total, they just have to fight a villain at some point in the future and they will be ready.

"I don't like violence, but if someone wants to hurt people, count on me." Rose murmurs with some doubt, but with clear intentions.

"Todd, you've earned a new level of respect. Do I have to save my identity?

"Yes, no one should know who we are. Start thinking of names. ”Marie smiles and proceeds to give the respective jewels. "Rose Lavillant, I give you the Miraculous of the Ladybug, it gives you the power of creation and to purify evil. "

Rose takes the box that she offers and smiles at the stained Kwami, who spins around her and greets with joy for the choice of Marie, a pure and innocent soul with a lot of creative potential, she just needs to teach him to exploit him to better synchronize with his powers . Since Marie was a soul of creation born in a bad luck well, she can no longer synchronize with the powers of the ladybug and became a perfect pair for Plagg, the other side of the coin.

"Alix Kubdel, I grant you the Miraculous of the Fox, he gives you the power of illusion."

The girl looks curiously at the little fox, who analyzes her head-on and soon the two of them are colliding the five as if they had read the mind. They both thought the same thing: it will be fun.

“Chloe Bourgeois, as a worthy queen, I grant you the Miraculous of the Bee, she grants you the power of subjection. "

Chloe marvels when the little bee bows to her, much to her ego? Well, Marie will have to get used to it.

"I'm the bearer of the Miraculous of the Black Cat, grant the power of destruction."

"A cat? Lovely. "

"I'm not adorable, girl, I'm a god."

"Plagg." Tikki says.

"What? It's the true. "The black Kwami goes to the kitchen leaving them in the living room.

"Well, Pollen likes honey." Chloe nods, agreeing to let Pollen lie on her head, already thinking about how she will use the comb to include it in her style. "Trixx loves carrots. ”Alix nods, picking up the necklace and putting it on, thinking it's too flashy to just wearing it on her clothes. "Tikki is a fan of sweets, especially cookies, he really liked those at the Dupain-Cheng bakery near the school. "

"I love those cookies, too!" Rose shines for having an excuse to buy daily, she will be able to share a lot with her new friend.

So they spend the whole afternoon refining the details and agreeing on what they will do to improve in combat, leaving them to decide the style they want to follow. In addition to explaining the weapons and her recommendations.


	12. Chapter 12

Tim Drake has been… busy. With increasingly risky training trips taking advantage of the prolonged absence of his parents, they do not even know that he's not at home, much less that he is somewhere in the world specializing in martial arts, forensic science and other areas of knowledge that are necessary to be Batman's ally.

His last training ended and he is now in Paris, completing the last link of his training. A small favor for Lady Shiva, as he refused to kill the Serpent King, she demanded that he deliver a package to an old friend of hers. Only she didn't tell him much about him, beyond a few clues and now she must look for him.

Only that something has stopped him.

She.

Marie Todd.

Looking good, healthy and with three other girls who, from what he has been able to see, are her friends.

She is fine.

She is alive.

And... He will not take away the stability she has achieved.

It is seen that she has a normal life, she has made friends and she will be much safer there than in Gotham.

But it’s only an appearance, he must verify that it's so He cannot just be guided by what he has seen, if she is in danger or with a bad family, he will take her out of there and take her with him.

The first thing he does is follow her, he wants to see her family, even from afar, before investigating her thoroughly. Had he known it would be as easy as putting her name on some international search, he would have done it, but he thought she would be captive or in some illegal location. He doesn't want to go back to those thoughts, they were his daily nightmares of those two years that passed.

It has been such a serious issue that Dick suggested a therapist to deal with that kind of loss, rather than become obsessed with finding Marie. But it seems that the universe was ahead of Dick's intervention, because it made him meet her.

Only it's not easy to follow her, she goes around the city a lot and looks a lot at her surroundings as if she feels that she is being followed. Old ways don't die, smart girl. And it makes him feel bad for following her.

After giving Paris a full lap, he admits defeat. And when he takes his eyes off her, Marie is gone. He just clicks his tongue and wanders away from the location, ready to return to his lodge to fully investigate Marie's new life.

Which ends up being a fairly quick investigation, since the information is public. Although he must dig into what happened, resulting in everything being documented by the Bremen police, with the testimony of witnesses and the arrest of the traffickers. Which almost escaped the police, was even in the national news.

_Marie Todd-Wang._

_It seems like it will be fine, right?_

_If I get close am I going to spoil her new life?_


End file.
